Examines the connection between the particular character of Malawi's economy (the third poorest country in the world; still acting as a labor reserve for the farms and mines of Southern Africa) and the special influence of Scottish missionaries (the Livingstonia Mission of the Church of Scotland, founded in 1874, and the Blantyre Mission of the Church of Scotland established a year later). In particular the author examines the missionary responsibility for the growing poverty of Northern Malawi. Notes.